SkieWhat is a parental control app?
A parental control app lets a parent decide what a child can do on a phone or tablet: which apps open, which websites load, when the device can be used and, in some products, where it is. Some run as an ordinary app. Skie works at a deeper level, as the Android device owner, so the rules sit below the child's reach.
Most parental control apps do four jobs. They filter websites, they limit or approve apps, they set times when the device is available, and they show the parent something about use or location. How well they do these depends less on the feature list than on where the app sits inside Android.
An ordinary app is installed like any other, and Android treats it like any other. The child, or the child's friend, can often find the setting that stops it, remove it, or reset the device around it. A parent who has been through that knows the feeling of seeing a control quietly disappear.
Skie takes the other route. It is Android device management software for parents, schools, hostels and organisations. It runs as the Android device owner, so the rules are enforced by Android itself. The parent chooses which apps work, which websites open, when the device can be used, and where it is, from a dashboard in a web browser.
Skie is software only. You use the phone or tablet your family already owns, and you set it up once. There is no phone to buy from Skie. Pricing is on request.
A practical tip: before you pick any product, write down the three things you most want to stop, for example adult sites, late-night use, and unknown apps. Then ask each product how it stops them and whether your child can switch that off.